Judge refuses to lift ban on Venezuelan deportations despite Trump request

Driving the news: In a Monday opinion, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg took aim at the Trump administration for invoking an 18th-century wartime law to justify the deportations.

• Each plaintiff "vehemently denies" being part of the Tren de Aragua gang, as the administration claimed, he noted.
• As such, each plaintiff is "entitled to individualized hearings" to determine whether the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 — which would allow them to be deported with little to no due process — can be applied to them, Boasberg wrote.
• "Because the named Plaintiffs dispute that they are members of Tren de Aragua, they may not be deported until a court has been able to decide the merits of their challenge," he said.

The big picture: The Trump administration sparked a legal uproar earlier this month when it defied a court order from Boasberg that barred the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members.

• The administration claims the two deportation flights, which were not turned around, had taken off before the written order and were justified under the Alien Enemies Act.
• The administration has also argued that it is complying with the order, since that no deportation flights took off from the U.S. after the written order came down.

Go deeper: Trump moves closer to court crisis